Brazil

In 2018, around 672 300 persons acquired citizenship of one of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), down from 700 600 in 2017 and 843 900 in 2016.

Two tweets by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in which he questioned quarantine measures aimed at containing the novel coronavirus were removed on March 29, on the grounds that they violated the social network's rules.    

The world's richest nations prepared more costly measures on March 17 to combat the global fallout of the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people, triggered social restrictions unseen since World War Two and sent economies spinning toward recession.

Deaths, infections

Eight South American countries that are part of the regional PROSUR bloc are coordinating their response to the new coronavirus, said Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, quoted by the DPA.

Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru and Guyana have agreed to "unify measures for the entry of people into each country," Moreno wrote on Twitter.

Facebook has added Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova and Turkey to its updated list of countries that must adhere to its strict political advertising transparency regulations.

The coronavirus epidemic has pushed the price of Brent crude on March 2 to its lowest in 31 months and on the same week that investors await the critical OPEC meeting that will be held in Vienna, Austria on March 5.

International benchmark Brent crude fell as low as $48.40 per barrel on March 2 to mark its lowest level since July 24, 2017, according to official data.

About 6,000 people are blocked on a cruise ship in Cozumel, Mexico, to be tested for the new coronavirus, BTA reported.

The MSC Meraviglia ship was allowed to dock in Mexico, a day after MSC Cruises expressed dismay that authorities in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands had refused its cruise liner. This happened after a crew member was diagnosed with the flu.

As the worst-hit areas of Asia continued to struggle with a viral epidemic, with hundreds more cases reported on Feb. 27 in South Korea and China, worries about infection and containment spread across the globe.

Sonimpex Topoloveni, the producer of Topoloveni plum magiun, an original plum jam recipe, has obtained European funds worth 775,000 euros to promote the product in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Vietnam, but it will also participate in trade fairs and exhibitions in Japan, America and Brazil, the company announced on Thursday.

Turkey's fourth polar expedition team arrived in Antarctica to conduct scientific research, the Turkish minister of industry and technology announced on Feb. 18.

The team, which departed from Istanbul on Feb. 9, will carry out studies for a month on Horseshoe Island, where a temporary Turkish Science Base was deployed, Mustafa Varank said in a press release issued by the ministry.